Number of U.S. Inmates Rises 2 Percent

Home of the brave!

...the very definition of a republic is "an empire of laws, and not of men." ~John Adams

Well, except the ones who are in for murder, theft, and assault. Let's legalize those too.

Agreed.

I'm not too keen on legalizing all drugs, but you have to consider why some drugs are illegal. Ecstasy is illegal now, yet 20 to 30 years ago it was legal. Why is marihuana illegal?

I know, I know, they are gateway drugs. They lead to people doing other drugs. Then why isn't alchol and cigarettes illegal?

I also thought this was the land of the free, why have restrictions on people when it doesn't impact others? When was the last time you seen anyone on marihuana go on a killing spree? In fact, if marihuana was legal then it would be a boom for the fast food industry. (I do not do marihuana because I have asthma, but I do not see the big deal in it either)

If a drug is addictive then by all means make it illegal.

Cactus, Your own statement about banning addictive substances is the source of the argument for legalization. Many currently legal substances or activities are quite addictive, so it seems that there is a restriction on some addictions (those thought to be more difficult to levy tax on) and an allowance of other addictive agents (those generally easier to tax.)

Yet we are bombarded with complaints that women (especially mothers) are being unnecessarily victimized by our criminal justice system. I wonder how many inmates are fathers?

Yes, DBS... men in our society are sincerely afflicted by this problem. I have worked with children in past years... and have seen the effect of abusive parenting. Children become much more inattentive, and bouncy and out of control when they are spanked. The same thing is true for men and how they're threatened like this by the heavy handed judicial system. Men become scared, and rebellious, because of this kind of abuse. "Get tough on crime" legislation is just terribly abusive. I read an article recently of a male highschool teacher who got a 200 year prison sentence for having 20 pictures of child pornography on his computer. This was upheld by the supreme court of arizona. And yet, recently there was a woman teacher - Debra LaFave - who pled guilty to sex with a minor, and charges were subsequently dropped. This is what happens in our society. This is one root issue which molds our society. Why can't people see this? Men are abused. A film about a scheming or violent man by some hollywood studio is not misogynous - it's misandrous.

I'm talking about abusers of corporate power and government officials of course...

Not many Black folks in those positions.

The racial makeup of inmates changed little in recent years, Beck said. In the 25-29 age group, an estimated 11.9 percent of black men were in prison or jails, compared with 3.9 percent of Hispanic males and 1.7 percent of white males.

If 12% of all Black 35-29 year old males are in jail you have to start to think that is deliberate racial victimisation.

In answer to your well put question. No, I don't.

But the real question is... Do you feel safer now than you did 8 years ago?

Not remotely.

If 12% of all Black 35-29 year old males are in jail you have to start to think that is deliberate racial victimisation.

I don't know about that. I'm thinking its more unintentional or indirect racial issues. As in, society not helping those who are poor well enough to give them the things they need to keep them from cycling through the prison system. So, they make up a higher percentage.

hahaha, you think you got it bad?

You should totally come with me next time I go flying. It's a joy.

I've heard a lot about the racial profiling thing, but getting arrested for being Asian dating a white girl? Over here, in Europe, Asians are sometimes ridiculed but not too often harrassed like that. It's the Arabs people fear or loathe or hate.

I do remember one incident where I was carrying a large and heavy bag on the street and was stopped by the police.

"What you got in there?"

"My clothes. I am going to the laundry. Wanna have a look in there?"

"Um... no. Move on."

He he...

III: did you get the name, badge number of the cop who did it and report him? And possibly, let the local media know?

When I was 18, I was "age" profiled by cops in a local small town. Everyone involved on both sides was white. We had just gotten food from a late night Burger King and, instead of eating while driving because that is unsafe, we stopped in a parking lot at a closed grocery store. (Don't ask me why we didn't eat AT burger king - I can't remember. Might have been just the drive through that was open that late.)

As we were getting ready to pull out after eating our tasty refreshment, cop lights came on behind us. An older friend of mine who was driving had a concealed weapons permit and was carrying a pistol. He TOLD the cop that he had a pistol, which is what he was supposed to do and that he had a permit.

The cops freaked out. They both drew guns, and one guy hollered into his radio for backup. Within 5 minutes there were two other city cop cars, the sheriff, and a state police trooper. (who looked at what was going on, shook his head, and drove away) They had us against the car, handcuffed, padded down, then separated so they could "check our stories". Over the next hour, all three of us were in the FRONT seats of different cop cars, sitting right next to LOADED WEAPONS that the brilliant cops had left in their cars. They eventually let us go, with no ticket, no warning, and really no explanation.

I don't abide by harassment or abuse of power, but frankly, I think we DO have to have some racial profiling when it comes to homeland security. 75 year old six foot tall red haired Japanese women didn't blow up four planes. I'd rather that resources weren't going to "randomly" selecting them out of a security check line. If effort is going to be expended then I at least want it directed toward more likely suspects.

That said, I think "random" checks are B.S. anyway and by and large, most of the security practices put in place after 9/11 were a waste of money and effort. (Except for strengthened cockpit doors.)

75 year old six foot tall red haired Japanese women didn't blow up four planes. I'd rather that resources weren't going to "randomly" selecting them out of a security check line

The SECOND you stop real random selection and solely search Middle Easterners, Terrorists will just laugh and get of their blue-eye buddies to bleach their hairs, or hell, wear a wig and let's say...some fake boobs.

Either provide random selections for all, or don't do it whatsoever.

This prejudice against Middle Easterners has got to stop. We're not all out to get you, Jesus Christ. My life is not going to be ruined because of 19 stupid @!$%#s.

Do you see me looking at all white people at the airport as a potential sleeper cell / militia / skinhead nazi / KKK "terrorist"?

Everybody living in Fear. Whatever happened to that terrorist-color-coding system?

Whatever happened to freak out about a legitimate reason? When is the last time Americans were paranoid about their job? The Great Depression? Whoa!

As an illustration to Zaki's point in 7.4, let me just say that at one time in my younger days, I had a Turkish man as my boyfriend, and he had red hair and blue eyes. All middle easterners do not fit the "appearance" profile.

Woa, Aine... That comment will go straight into the file they got on you :)

Oh, I'm sure it's already in there, along with my fingerprints, how often I partied and with whom, etc. I don't question whether there's a file, I know there is... and I won't let it affect how I live my life.

Fear is the enemy.

This prejudice against Middle Easterners has got to stop.

Sorry you feel that way Zaki, I really do. I don't think that what I'm talking about is prejudice, but you and others may feel differently. Take race out of it and look at it this way:

You have been given the job to find poison M&M's in a candy store. There have been cases of death in 20 children so far, and, by all accounts and everything you've heard so far, the ones who died only ate the red ones. You have a limited amount of time and manpower to search the M&M's and test them for poison. (I didn't say the entire example made sense, but bear with me.) Do you:

Spend time testing all of the colors of M&Ms? or
Put the majority of your resources on the red M&Ms and do what you can on the other colors?

Please, I don't mean to trivialize your race, or your travel difficulties with candy. But see it from this perspective. I don't bear any ill will or hatred of any middle-easterner personally and (and this is going to sound like I'm just BSing, but I'm not) but have worked with and still have friends of mine who live in Pakistan and Egypt whom I talk to on a fairly regular basis.

Now. All that said, I did hear a news report recently that said that Al Qaeda was recruiting more heavily in southeast asia because those muslims didn't fit the "profile." So, yes, I agree the random checks are pointless, and we should focus our efforts more on metal, biological and radiological detectors, and in the instance of air travel, further security for the passengers and flight crew.

New Australia?